After reading Mirko Bagarics condemnation of our IT system and the consequences of more of it not less of it in the future, I have just a fleeting sense of guilt depositing a comment over the same internet facility.

It is refreshing to read a comment detailing the lack of clothing worn by the King.

How interesting to read Tony Windsor is IT illiterate. Now that would have to be a worry. It should serve though as an example to politicians controlling the new internet venture as a warning not to waste vast sums of money on Country electorates rolling out uncountable kilometres of fibre cable in order to service a very small minority of the population, many of whom will stubbornly remain IT illiterate.

In my experience, Windsor is pretty typical of the mindset of our country cousins that all too often resist progress and discomfort of life to stay stubbornly non-conformist.

IF there is a vote taken on the extravaganza of nationwide fibre cabling, mine goes to the party confining the cost to city areas only, where it will be used.

<< … the internet pales into insignificance compared to the must haves of security, health, housing and education. >>

Agreed Mirko. The government has got its priorities askew.

But you’ve left out the most urgent thing of all – the need for our society to be weaned off of its utter dependence on oil. That doesn’t mean we have to get off it entirely, but we certainly do to the extent that we won’t suffer too greatly WHEN (not if) the price of oil starts to really rise and play havoc with our economic system on every level, from personal to international, with consequent massive social disruption and civil strife.

THIS should be our government’s top priority.

Yep, throwing $43b at fast internet is akin to the Easter Islanders just building more statues to appease their gods instead of learning to manage their resources more effectively when things started to get precarious.

have to agree with mirko, I suspect the ALP is trying to buy it's way to credibility with something that's hard to show didn't achieve what they say, in their parliamentary lifetime - it is of course a folly to spend that much money on something they "hope" will give a result.

will it actually enable all the contry folks to start ebusinesses and become world leaders?

maybe the internet for country folks will result in more "renewables", maybe they can tie together all the ALP buzz phrases, not forgetting the new one of course "global climate destruction", just handed down from our American master (I for one welcome their interference and spin - sarc)

Ludwig, I like very much your analogy, how appropriate to the ALP and their love of symbols and bragging, and their total lack of substance

You can be IT illiterate but still know the value of it. The same as many are illiterate about electricity but know what it can do and what it is worth.

Okay, I can bust the myth that the internet is a luxury. Our world runs on data now, knowledge is the new currency. An example of this is at the place where I work. Data modellers are trying to construct computer models of water flow patterns through the environment, they are trying to use real world data to predict the flow and spread of nutrients, pollutants, pesticides and toxic chemicals. They are trying to predict which areas are going to be coming under increased stress due to a drying climate and increasing population. And they are trying to do this so that we can maintain our natural environment, that which sucks carbon out of the atmosphere and gives us oxygen to breath, that which put tourism dollars in our pockets and taxes in the government coffers, that which gives us a place to go when we are sick of the city so we can distress and maintain our own health. But what they need is data, lots of it - hundreds of gigabytes in fact. On our current system it takes several days to transfer the data that is needed, copper just can't cut it. The modellers just can't keep up with our changing environment, what they need most is fresh current data transferred in real time. A high speed high capacity system is not a luxury, it’s a necessity! If we don’t have it we’re all screwed.

Ludwig
Forever the master of sarcasm and a phd. in doom. But I agree with your oil analogy.

Flo.
Yes but; here the government proposal is for total Fibre cabling of Australia. So I sketch a reality: Three farmers living on one of the numerous country lanes at the back of nowhere and kilometres from a similar insignificant country village, peopled with villagers with limited interest and no real need for personal IT services, will be facilitated with fibre cable for connection to high speed internet service.

This cabling project Flo, is a duplication of existing copper cable which already services admirably the isolated country communities mentioned, that dwell in every insignificant country lane in Australia.

Statistically, 90% of Australian population live on the eastern seaboard within 30klm of the coast. Where is the justification in the out of perspective investment of billions of dollars of borrowed money being ploughed into sparsely populated areas already suitably serviced with copper technology?